Conventional ultrasound imaging systems typically include a hand-held probe coupled by cables to a large rack-mounted console processing and display unit. The probe typically includes an array of ultrasonic transducers which transmit ultrasonic energy into a region being examined and receive reflected ultrasonic energy returning from the region. The transducers convert the received ultrasonic energy into low-level electrical signals which are transferred over the cable to the processing unit. The processing unit applies appropriate beam forming techniques to combine the signals from the transducers to generate an image of the region of interest.
Typical conventional ultrasound systems include a transducer array each transducer being associated with its own processing circuitry located in the console processing unit. The processing circuitry typically includes driver circuits which, in the transmit mode, send precisely timed drive pulses to the transducer to initiate transmission of the ultrasonic signal. These transmit timing pulses are forwarded from the console processing unit along the cable to the scan head. In the receive mode, beamforming circuits of the processing circuitry introduce the appropriate delay into each low-level electrical signal from the transducers to dynamically focus the signals such that an accurate image can subsequently be generated.
Typically, the console processing and display unit employs an array of controls, such as knobs, sliders, and switches, which are used to determine the ultrasonic operations to be applied. Such controls require that the operator continually focus on the controls, rather than the ultrasonic image of the area of interest, and manually manipulate the controls by moving their hand along the control panel. Since real-time ultrasonic imaging requires that the hand-held probe be manipulated over the subject area of interest, the operator only has one hand with which to manipulate the controls. Since skillful manipulation of the hand-held probe is required to obtain quality images, it is often the non-dominant hand which must be used to manipulate the controls. Further, since some type of conductive substance, such as gel or paste is often employed on the hand-held probe to facilitate image communication with the subject, continuous, uninterrupted manipulation of the hand-held probe is desirable.
It would be beneficial, therefore, to provide a method of controlling all operations in an ultrasonic imaging system from a common operating position, facilitating selection of qualitative operations and corresponding quantitative parameters with the non-dominant hand, thereby relieving the operator from detracting focus from the subject ultrasonic image, from searching the control panel for unwieldy controls, and from interrupting the ultrasonic scanning to manipulate the controls.
A method for controlling an ultrasonic imaging system from a unitary operating position facilitates ultrasonic image processing by defining ultrasonic imaging operations and defining a range of values corresponding to each of the ultrasonic imaging operations. An operator then selects, via a first control, one of the ultrasonic imaging operations, and then selects, via a second control, a parameter in the range of values corresponding to the selected ultrasonic imaging operation. The ultrasonic imaging system applies the selected ultrasonic imaging operation employing the selected parameter. In this manner, the operator produces the desired ultrasonic image processing results by employing both the first control and the second control from a common operating position from one hand, thereby allowing the operator to continue scanning with a free hand while continuing to control the ultrasonic imaging system.
The ultrasonic imaging system is controlled from a control keypad accessible from one hand of the operator, or user. The other hand of the operator may therefore be employed in manipulating an ultrasonic probe attached to the ultrasonic imaging system for gathering ultrasonic data employed in the ultrasonic imaging operations. The first control allows qualitative selection of the various ultrasonic imaging operations which may be invoked using the system. The second control allows quantitative selection of parameters along a range to be employed in the ultrasonic operation. The range of parameters may be a continuum, or may be a series of discrete values along the range. The control keypad includes two keys for scrolling through the qualitative ultrasonic operations, and two keys for selecting the quantitative parameters along the corresponding range.
The ultrasonic imaging operations which may be invoked include scanning operations, to be applied to live, real time ultrasonic image gathering, and processing operations, which may be applied to a live or frozen ultrasonic images. Typical scanning ultrasonic imaging operations which are known to those skilled in the art and which may be applied by the ultrasonic imaging system include size, depth, focus, gain, Time Gain Compensation (TGC) and TGC lock. Typical processing ultrasonic imaging operations include view, inversion, palette, smoothing, persistence, map, and contrast.